World champ Sakio Bika inspires Alex Leapai’s Klitschko quest

AUSTRALIA’S only world boxing champion Sakio Bika is backing Alex Leapai to join him at the top of the sport.

The WBC super-middleweight champ has been training alongside Leapai on the hulking heavyweight’s trips to Sydney for sparring at Kostya Tszyu’s gym and told Leapai Australia needed another world titleholder.

``Sakio is a lovely bloke,’’ Leapai said, ``and he has been really supportive for our campaign to beat Wladimir Klitschko.

``When he fights he throws everything at the guy in front of him and that’s exactly what I’ll do when the bell goes against Klitschko.

``I promise you that Klitschko won’t know what hit him. I’ve dreamed of this chance my whole life and I’ll be going at him harder than anyone he’s ever seen.’’

Leapai fights world heavyweight titleholder Klitschko on the morning of April 27 (Australian time) at the Koenig-Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany in the biggest fight ever involving an Australian.

Bika will be the subject of an upcoming documentary from director/producer Ben Damon which includes footage of him returning home to be greeted by thousands of supporters in his native Cameroon.

The humble world champ is willing to fight the very best in the world and has thrown out challengers to Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and the winner of the upcoming Carl Froch-George Groves rematch at Wembley Stadium in London.

Leapai’s trainer Noel Thornberry said he was delighted with Leapai’s form and with Rawlins’ ability to box in the same style as world champ Klitschko.

``We’ve had fantastic work this week,’’ Thornberry said.

``Trent has been able to mimic Klitschko’s jab, one-two style and he’s really given Alex some great sparring. There are five weeks to fight time and I’m really happy with the way Alex is building up to give the performance of his life.’’

Rawlins, 27, was caught up in a major racism controversy four years ago when he was dumped from the Australian amateur team, despite winning a world championship qualifier.

He claimed he was the victim of a racist slur from Australia’s German-born boxing coach Bodo Andreass, who did not select him for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where Australia performed below expectations.

The Australian Institute of Sport boxing coach was fined $5000 for calling Rawlins a ‘’blackie’’ during a training session in 2009 and warned that a repeat incident would cost him his job.

Rawlins, a two-time national amateur super heavyweight champion, is from Melbourne, but his parents are from Barbados and South Africa, making him eligible to represent either country. He was also a reserve-grade rugby league player with the Sydney Rabbitohs.

Between 2010-2012 he competed in the World Series of Boxing, an amateur tournament inspired by cricket’s IPL in which some of the world’s top amateurs were paid to box in tournaments around the world.

The 193cm, 110kg strongman has recently been training in America with the slick former champ Chris Byrd, who holds a win over Klitschko’s older brother Vitali, albeit one that occurred after Vitali dislocated his shoulder when a mile in front on points after nine rounds.

In his last fight, Parker crushed faded South African contender Frans Botha in two rounds in what was just his sixth fight.

Botha was a big name a decade and a half ago but is best known in Australia for having Sonny Bill Williams on the verge of a knockout in the tenth round at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last year just before their fight was mysteriously shortened from 12 rounds to 10.

Parker is training for the bout in Las Vegas with his coach Kevin Barry, the LA Olympic silver medallist.

Parker has a 7-0 (6 KOs) record. Williams, 41, from the Bahamas, is 36-13-2 (19 KOs) and has been mixing it with the world’s best for 15 years.

Klitschko hired him as a sparring partner because he is a squat, powerful heavyweight in the Leapai mould.

News_Image_File: Boxer Jarrod Fletcher with his wife Krista and his children Ryder, 2, and Milla, 1.

FLETCHER TO FIGHT RUSSIAN GUN IN MOSCOW

AUSTRALIA’S world No.2 ranked middleweight Jarrod Fletcher is in advanced negotiations to fight No.1 ranked Dmitry Chudinov of Russia in Moscow on April 19.

The fight will likely be for the WBA Interim middleweight title stripped from Englishman Martin Murray after he withdrew from a defence against Fletcher in Monte Carlo on February 1.

The WBA world title is held by New York-based Kazakhstan sniper Gennady Golovkin.

Australia’s Daniel Geale, the former champ, is rated No.3.

News_Image_File: Boxer and teacher Jeff Horn with his students from Pallara State School.

HORN OF PLENTY AFTER BIG WIN ON FOX SHOW

AUSTRALIAN welterweight champion and London Olympian Jeff Horn looked world-class as he scored a bizarre ninth-round stoppage over arch foe Rivan Cesaire in the bumper Fox Sports card at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night.

A punch dislocated Cesaire’s left shoulder, ending a thrilling contest.

The main event capped a terrific night of boxing put together by promoter Jamie Myer.

Tupou is helping Alex Leapai prepare for his world heavyweight title fight with Wladimir Klitschko on April 26.

Horn now has seven wins and a draw in his eight fights with six wins by KO.

The draw came against Cesaire in their first fight last August when the injury-prone fighter from Cameroon suffered a horrific gash over his left eye from a clash of heads.

His record is now 11-5 with one draw.

Horn dominated Wednesday’s scheduled 12-rounder from the opening bell, dropping the Melbourne-based fighter in the opening round and taking a commanding points lead going into the ninth.

At 1:44 referee Paul Tapley stopped the fight after Cesaire slumped to his knees clutching at his shoulder in agony.

Horn was coming off a commanding win over two-time world title challenger Naoufel Ben Rabeh in December in Perth.

The Brisbane primary schoolteacher has a big year ahead of him, with his wedding to long-term sweetheart Joanna Buckley planned for September 6.

He and trainer Glenn Rushton are planning three bouts before the wedding as Horn eyes a world title fight in 2015.

Tupou, who spent seven years fighting in America before returning to Sydney last year, improved to 24-3 (17 KOs).

His massive right hand shots sent Guivas (7-2-2, 5 KOs) to the floor in the third, fifth and sixth rounds, while Tupou lost a point in round five for low blows.

Guivas had veteran heavyweight Damon Reed in his corner.

London Olympian Damien “Super” Hooper was given a surprisingly tough night by unheralded Korean cruiserweight Young-Don Um, who refused to quit despite absorbing some massive shots from the lanky Dalby-raised bomber.

The Korean cut Hooper and twice knocked out his mouthguard.

Hooper landed the more potent and plentiful shots, though he was taken the distance for the first time in seven bouts.

Scores were 60-54 and 59-55 (twice) for the Australian.

``It was a good learning fight,’’ said Hooper’s manager Matt Clark.

``He could’ve made it easier by boxing more. He gave away some weight but got the job done in the end.’’

FORMER WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter — who once decked Wladimir Klitschko three times only to lose a points decision in Atlantic City in 2005 — will join Australia’s Kali Meehan, Englishman Michael Sprott and Irish tough guy Martin Rogan in the $500,000 Prizefighter Super 8 tournament on June 4 in Auckland.

It will be the 33-year-old Nigerian Nightmare’s first fight in three years.

The winner of the Auckland tournament will collect $200,000, the runner-up $100,000 and semi-finalists $30,000.

Even opening round losers will collect $15,000.

There will be bonuses for KOs, best fights and fight of the night. The four other heavyweights taking part are to be announced soon.

News_Image_File: Irish boxers Paddy Murphy and Dennis Hogan are making their homes in Brisbane.

DENNIS HOGAN CALLS OUT ANTHONY MUNDINE, SHANNON KING

AUSTRALIAN middleweight champion Dennis Hogan has called out Anthony Mundine after a memorable St Patrick’s Day celebration that began with the Irish-born champ retaining his title on Sunday.

``Dennis is willing to drop down to light-middleweight (70kg) to face Mundine but already Mundine has indicated that he doesn’t want anything to do with Dennis or his teammate Jarrod Fletcher.’’

Mundine faces former world welterweight champion Joshua Clottey on April 9 in Newcastle. Clottey has had just one fight in the last three years.

Hogan has been much busier.

On Sunday, the 29-year-old who moved to Brisbane from Kildare, Ireland three years ago, outworked the aggressive Brown with his jolting short counterpunches and punishing right hand. All three judges gave him the fight by wide margins but Brown, a former top amateur, put up a wholehearted challenge.

``Leroy just kept coming,’’ Deller said, ``but he was aggressive without throwing enough punches. All fight he kept walking on to Dennis’s jab and he absorbed two of the hardest right rips I’ve ever seen. He showed a lot of courage but Dennis was always in front.’’

Deller said he was also pushing for a fight between Hogan and Shannon King, who has a big following in Brisbane.

``It would be a cracking fight between two real drawcards and we hope Shannon steps up to the plate,’’ Deller said.

Sunday’s fight was Hogan’s second defence of the 72kg title he won in Brisbane in November and he is now unbeaten in 18 pro fights and on the verge of a world top 10 rating. It was Brown’s sixth loss in 18 starts.

Also on Sunday, Toowoomba’s heavy hitting cruiserweight Brett Peters (91kg) climbed off the floor in the opening round to score a third-round stoppage over the explosive Josh Robertson, who had thrown out a challenge to rugby star Quade Cooper.

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